Refrigerator.



J. SGHULDE & N. J. WINDBBRG.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1912.

Patented Mar. 24, 191 i (9 1 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a. u h u n W m fill 1... 1 m ...r. r. 1.. .z 1.. 1 .z. llnIlIll J. SGHULDE & N. J. WINDBERG.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.29, 1912.

Patented Mar. 24, 1914.

'IIIIIIIII IIIIIIII\ IImum"!!! umum mum:

All"

J. SGHULDE & N. J. WINDBERG.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29,1912.

1,091,393.; Patented M81224, 1914 @W J 3 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

... Twig: mm a Hill WWW noansos.

JOHN SCHULDE AND NICKOLAUS J. WINDBERG, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 29, 1912,

Patented Mar. 24, 1914:.

Serial No. 717,759.

1 '0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JonN SouUL-nn, a citizen of the United States, and Nicnomus J. lVJINDBERG, a subject of the Emperor of .iustria-llungary, both residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful improvements in te'lt'rigerators, of which the following is a hI'Hit'lllClttlUIl.

This invention relates to refrigerators and more particularly to refrigerators having large capacity, such for instance as are used in restaurants, meat markets, etc.

In the ordinary refrigerator as now constructed a large amount of space is taken up by the ice. This space cannot be used at all but must of course be cooled down. Such a large ice space has heretofore been required in view of the fact that ice was used in blocks, and therefore could not of itself produce a lower temperature than 82 F.

()ne of the objects of this invent-ion therefore is to construct a refrigerator which is so arranged that the air within the refrigerator can be cooled down considerably below the freezing point of ice.

An other object is to arrange the compartments and the refrigerating devices so as to obtain an eflicicnt circulation of the air in the rerrigerator, and to so construct the refrigerating devices as to obtain a large cooling surface area.

Another object is to so construct and arrange the ice receiver that it may be readily moved into and out of the refrigerator casing, so that this receiver may be filled when positioned outside of the casing.

Another object is to combine with the ice receiver, receptacles which may be filled with water, etc., for freezing and which will act as cold storage reservoirs.

Another object is to provide a drip receiver which is arranged to be moved into and out of the refrigerator casing, and which is adapted to act as a cold storage reservoir.

Further objects will appear from the detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a refrigerator embodying this invention, Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a perspective View showing the track, Fig. 4-

is a section on the line lt Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the ice container and its receptacles, Fig. (3 is a detail lro-nt elevation, partly in section, of the ice contalncr and its receptacles, Fig. 7 is a section through one of the container supporting wheels, Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the trap, Fig. 9 is an enlarged front elevation partly in section of the drip receiver, and Fig. 10 is a horizontal section through the refrigerator casing and one of its doors.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown as applied to an ordinary household refrigerator; it will be understood however that the invention can be applied to various forms of refrigerators, such as meat market, restaurant, counter, and show case refrigerators.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 10 designates the body or casing of the refrigerator provided with a number of doors 11, which are in this case located in one of the side walls. A vertical partition 12 separates the interior of the refrigerator into two compartments 13 and 1st arranged side by side. The compartment 13 forms the storage compartment, while 14 forms the rercfrigcrant compartment. Narrow corrugated strips 15 are mounted on the walls'of the storage compartment 13 and are adapted to receive a series of shelves 16. It will be noted that the partition 12 terminates below the top wall and above the bottom wall of the refrigerator so that the compartments communicate at the top and at the bottom.

A container 20 is rcn'iovably mounted in the refrigerant compartment lat. This container is preferably constructed of sheet metal and is so built as to present a large outside surface area compared with its volume. It comprises what may be termed an upper section 21 and a series (in this case three) of lower sections or legs 22 mounted in spaced relation to form a number of air siaccs 23. The division 'alls 24: joining the sections 22, and which form the bottom of the upper section 21, are inclined downwardly toward the sections 2 so as to form flared openings or entrances to these sections. These sections or legs 22 are closed at the bottom by perforated bottom walls 25. The sections 21 and 22 thus form together a receptacle or tank open at the top, and having a single top section from the bottom of which open and extend a series of separated sections closed by perforated bottoms. The air spaces thus formed extend entirely through the receptacle from end to end. The sections 22 are connected by cross braces 26 which in turn support channel shaped guides 27 extending centrally along the spaces 23 between the sections- A pair of provision receptacles 28 of substantially rectangular construction, and of small width compared to their depth, are arranged to be removably supported in the spaces 23. The bottom of each receptacle has secured thereto a channel 29 arranged to engage and slide in the channel 27 Spacing members 30 comprising bent strips secured to the side walls of the receptacles 28 are adapted to space these receptacles from the inside Walls of the sections 22. The receptacles are provided with handles 31 and the container is provided with handles 32.

A pair of rails 34: forming a track or guide are supported uponbeams 35 within the refrigerator casing. A track extension comprising double jointed sections 36, is

pivoted to the track 34 at 37 and the ends I of this extension are turned up as shown at 38 so as to provide stops. The extension is supported by slotted brackets 39 sliding on pin 4?]: securedto the refrigerator casing. This extension can be folded back into the refrigerator casing inside of the door. Wheels 40 having roller bearing connections with brackets 41 secured to the bottom of the container, are arranged to support this container on the track.

The container 20 is adapted to receive a mixture of cracked ice and salt. When the container is to be filled, the extension 36 of the track is moved down as shown in Fig. 2 and the container is pulled entirely out of the refrigerator casing and into engagement with the stops 38. The container can now be filled. After the container is, filled it is pushed back into place, and the track extension is swung back into the refrigerator casing. It will be noted that the track 3 is slightly inclined downwardly and toward the rear end of the refrigerator so that the container will be held in position in the casing. The extension 36 is also preferably inclined when extended, but downwardly and outwardly, so that the container will be held in its withdrawn position outside of the refrigerator casing.

The bottom of the container is perforated and it will therefore drip when it is drawn out of the refrigerator casing. A pan 42 is therefore arranged to be removably supported below the container when in withdrawn position. This pan is provided with inwardly extending clips 43 arranged to take over the flanges of the extension 36. The pan can therefore be readily slipped on the extension 36 so as to catch the drip from the container. V

The provision receptacles 28 can be readily withdrawn or inserted in the spaces 23 between the container sections. These receptacles are adapted to receive water or other provisions. As the temperature can be reduced considerably below freezing point with a mixture of ice and salt, the water in the receptacles 28 'can be frozen. The receptacles 28 are useful for freezing ice to be used in drinking water, iced tea, etc., where the ice should be made of clean and pure water. It will be understood of course that these receptacles may be used for other liquids and other materials.

The container and its provision receptacles may be withdrawn and placed back into the refrigerator as a unit. The water receptacles may also be withdrawn individually. The inclined surfaces 24 give a funnel shaped construction to the entrance of the sections 22 and therefore facilitate filling and obviate clogging of these entrances. The container together with its receptacles may be entirely removed from the track.

A drip receiver 45 is supported in the compartment 1e and below the ice container 20. This receiver is'provided with laterally extending flanges 46, which have mounted thereon wheels 47 adapted to engage the track 48 mounted in the refrigerator casing. This track is double jointed and similar in construction to the ice container track and is also provided with an extension 49 adapted to be moved into and'out of the casing. This track is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and a detail description thereof will be unnecessary. When the track is extended the drip receiver may be withdrawn out of the refrigerator and lifted or drawn from its track to discharge the contents thereof, and the receiver is provided with handles 50 for this purpose. A riser 51 extends into and nearly to the top of the drip receiver and has a discharge outlet 52. The drip receiver is positioned below the ice container and is slightly larger so as to receive the salt water dripping from the container.- This drip receiver will be nearly filled before it will overflow, so that it will always retain a considerable amount of salt water. i

The ice container, together with receptacles 28 and the drip receiver 4:5 are preferably constructed of a noncorrodible metal, which will not rust and which will not be attacked by the salt. The tracks as well as the wheels or rollers are however, preferably constructed of a bronze, such as manganese bronze. It has moreover been found that ball bearings will not clog or rust as easily as other forms of bearings when used in refrigerators.

-The floor of the refrigerator inclines toward a trap which will now be described.

Referring. to Fig. 8, 56 designates a receptacle sunk into the floor 55,,and into this receptacle extends the discharge pipe riser 57. A .cover, 58 closes the receptacle, and this cover is provided with a downwardly extending flange 59, and with a laterally extending flange 60. The flange 59 is corrugated as shown, and portions of the flange 60 are bent down as shown at 62, so that when the cover is on the receptacle it will be spaced a short distance from it so as to permit the water to enter the receptacle through the vertical channels formed between the corrugated flange and the receptacle. A funnel ()3 is secured to the cover 58, and this funnel has a pipe 64 entering the receptacle. The parts are so constructed that when the cover 58 is in position, as shown in Fig. 8, the bottom of the inlet pipe 64 and the bottom of the flange 59 will extend below the top of the outlet pipe 57 so as to dip into the water. In this way a trap is formed which will prevent the entrance of outside air into the refrigerator. The cover 58 is provided with a handle (35, so that this cover and its attached parts may be readily removed to permit cleaning of the trap. The trap is so positioned that the drip receiver outlet 52 will be directly above the funnel 63 when the receiver is in position in the refrigerator.

The doors 11 are of the usual safe construction as shown in Fig. 10. The inside of the refrigerator is provided with a metal lining 70, and this metal lining extends or projects inwardly around the doors as shown at 71. Gaskets 72 of rubber or other yield ing material are secured to the inside faces of the doors, and these gaskets cooperate with the lining extensions 71 to form air tight joints between the doors and the refrigerator casing.

Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, the packing consists of layers of cork 73 separated by layers of pitch 74. The inside layer 75 is however formed of oiled paper. The outlet pipe 57 is surrounded by a bushing 76 of wood, and this bushing as well as the receptacle 56 are coated with pitch as shown in Fig. 8. Similarly the metal door casing 77 is also coated adjacent the packing with pitch as shown in Fig. 10. The cork forms a very etlicient heat insulating material, while the pitch seals all joints and thus pro vides an air tight and moisture proof construction. The coated bushing 76 not only provides a good heat insulating member, but

also prevents the moisture from penetrating into the cork packing should the pipe .57 leak.

As the container 20 is arranged to receive a mixture of ice and salt, a temperature considerably below freezing point or 32 F. can be obtained. A much lower temperature can therefore be obtained with the same amount of ice in the refrigerator than can be obtained with ice alone. It will be noted that the lower part of the container is cut up into separated sections. This gives the container a large cooling surface compared to its volume. .The ice container therefore forms a low temperature heat absorbing unit having a large heat absorbing capacity compared with its size. As the receptacles 28 are spaced from the inside walls ofthe container, the effective surface area will not be cut down by the presence of these receptacles, but will rather be increased for the reason that these receptacles form in effect a part of the container and will therefore themselves absorb the heat after their contents are frozen. These receptacles form in effect heat absorbing and cold storage reservoirs, as the heat. in them will be absorbed by the container, and they will in turn later absorb heat from the air in the refrigerator. In view of the fact that the cold salt water dripping from the container is retained in the drip receiver, this water being at a low temperature will in turn absorb the heat from the air in the refrigerator. This receiver and its contents will therefore form a cold storage reservoir, which will absorb the heat from the refrigerator and tend to maintain the temperature therein constant and at a low degree. The ice container as well as the drip receiver are maintained in spaced relation with respect to the refrigerator walls and the air can therefore circulate all around them. As the partition 12 is open at the top and at the bottom, the air will circulate in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 1 and this will result in the maintenance of a low temperature in the storage chamber 13.

The refrigerator is filled from the side and it is therefore not necessary to lift a lid and fill from the top. In the latter construction not only is the finish of the refrigerator spoiled by accidentally dropping salt on the cover, but the ice and salt are liable to get into the joints between the cover and the refrigerator body and thus prevent a tight sealingof these joints. In this construction however the refrigerator is filled by removing the containerlaterally from the refrigerator casing so that this container 110 can be filled without liability of spilling salt or ice on the door frame or on the refrigerator body.

It is obvious that various changes may he made in the details of construction with- 115 out departing from this invention,and it is therefore to be understood that this inven tion is not to be limited to the specific construction shown and described.

Having thus described the invention what 120 is claimed is:

1. In a refrigerator, a removable ice mixture container having metal walls and comprising an upper section, and a plurality of lower sections joined to and opening from 125 said upper section, said lower sections being constructed and positioned on said upper section to form a plurality of air spaces 8X- tending along and completely across the container and walled laterally by said lower 130 sections, the bottoms of said lower sections being perforated to drain the water from the container.

. 2. In a refrigerator, an ice container comprising an upper section, and a plurality of lower sections joined to and opening from said upper section, said lower sections extending in spaced relation along said upper section to form the side walls of a plurality of open ended air spaces extending across the container.

3. In a refrigerator, a metal ic ice mixture container comprising a receptacle body having its lower end cut up into a plurality of spaced sections open at the top to and flaring into the receptacle body and forming a plurality of air spaces extending transversely along and through said body, the bottoms of said sections being perforated to drain the water from said container.

4. In a refrigerator, an ice container comprising an upper section and a plurality of lower sections joined to, depending from and opening from said upper section, said lower sections extending in spaced relation along said upper section, braces connecting the bottom of said lower sections, and rollers on the bottoms of said lower sections.

5. In a refrigerator, an ice container com- I adapted to be movably supported in the refrigerator and comprising a plurality of spaced sections arranged to form an air space therebetween, a provision receptacle in said space, and guides on said container for supporting said receptacle in said space, constructed, to permit said receptacle to be moved into and-out of said space.

7 In a refrigerator, an ice container adapted to be movably support-ed in the refrigerator and constructed to form an air space, a provision receptacle in said air space, and means for supporting said receptacle on said container constructed to per mit said receptacle to be moved into and out of said air space.

8. In a refrigerator, an ice container adapted to be movably supported in the refrigerator and comprising a receptacle body, a plurality of sections extending in spaced relation downwardly from said body and opening at the top from said receptacle body, and a receptacle removably supported on said container in the space between said sections.

9. In a refrigerator, an ice container adapted to be movably supported in the refrigerator and constructed to form a walled space extending through said container, and.

a receptacle removably supported by the container and in said space, but spaced from the walls of said space.

10. In a refrigerator, an ice container adapted to be movably supported in the refrigerator and comprising a plurality of vertically arranged sections connected and opening at the top into a common section, saidsections being spaced to form horizontally extending walled air spaces therebetween, a plurality of receptacles removably supported by the container and in said spaces, and spacing means between said receptacles and said section walls.

11. In a refrigerator, the combination with a refrigerator body or casing, of a container in said casing, guides in said casing for supporting said container therein, and double jointed guide extensions pivoted to said guides, said guide extensions being movable into and out of said casing.

12. In a refrigerator, the combination with a refrigerator body or casing, of an ice container therein, guides for supporting said container for movement into and out of said casing, said guides extending outside of said casing, and a drip pan supported on and by said guides.

13. In a refrigerator, the combination with a refrigerator casing having a side door, of a metallic ice mixture container comprising a receptacle body havi'nga plurality of sections extendlng in spaced relation downwardly from said body, the bot- 'toms of said sections being perforated to drain the container, guides in said casing positioned to permit movement of said container through the side doorway of the refrigerator casing, and a provision receptacle supported on said container and between said container sections.

14:. In a refrigerator, an ice container comprising a plurality of vertically arranged spaced sections connected and opening at the top into a common section, braces connecting the bottoms of the sections, and a provision receptacle supported in the space between said sections and upon said braces.

15. In a refrigerator, an ice container comprising a plurality of vertically arranged spaced sections connected and opening at the top into a common section, braces connecting the bottoms of said sections, a provision receptacle supported in the space between said sections, and cooperating guides on said braces and on the bottom of said receptacle.

16. In a refrigerator, the combination with a refrigerator casing having side openings one above the other and doors for said side openings, of a track opposite the upper side opening, an ice mixture container mounted on said track and movable horizontally out of said casing through the upper side opening and movable into said casing to a position inside of the upper door, a track opposite the lower side opening, and a drip receiver mounted on said last track and movable horizontally out of said casing through the lower side opening and into said casing to a position inside of the lower door.

17. In a refrigerator, the combination with a refrigerator casing having a refrigerant and storage compartments arranged side by side, said refrigerant compartment having a side opening and a door for said opening, of a. track opposite said side opening, a track extension movable into and out of extended position, an ice mixture container mounted on said track and movable horizontally out of said casing through said side opening, and movable into said casing to a position inside of said door, and a movably supported drip receiver positioned in said refrigerant compartment below said ice mixture container.

In testimony whereof We have affixed our signatures in presence of these witnesses.

JOHN SCHULDE. NICKOLAU S J. WINDBERG. WVitnesses:

J. H. BRUNINGER, CHAS. A. BECKER. 

